Device for automatically regulating supply of liquid fuel to boilers of automobile vehicles.



Patented Dec. 5, I899.

J. H. BULLARD. DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY REGULA'TING SUPPLY OF LIOUIDFUEL TO BOILERS OF AUTOMOBILE VEHICLES.

Application fil'd Feb. 3, 1899.) I

(No Model.)

JAMES H. BULLARD, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY REGULATING SPECIFICATION forming part ofLetters Patent No. 638,495, dated December 5, 189 9.

Application filed February 8, 1899. Serial No. 704,395. (No model.)

To on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. BULLARD, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampdenand State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Devices forAutomatically Regulating the Supply of Liquid Fuel to Boilers ofAutomobile Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for automatically regulating theamount of liquid fuel to be supplied to a burner for the generation ofsteam or other elastic fluid for power purposes in the boiler of anautomobile vehicle; and the object of the invention is to produce aconstruction which will regulate under normal conditions the said supplyof fuel by means of the maximum pressure which it is desired said steamshall attain and under abnormal conditions shall by other meansautomatically increase or diminish said supply in proportion to therequirements of the moment.

The invention consists in the construction of the devices hereinafterdescribed,and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is asteam-boiler fitted with a liquid-fuel burner and showing the adaptationof this invent-ion thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of themechanism whereby the supply of fuel for said burner is regulated underabnormal conditions. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of aregulating device actuated by the maximum air-pressure required forforcing fuel to said burner and adapted to stop or check the air-pumpwhen said maximum pressure is reached.

The devices herein shown and described are particularly applicable toself-propelled steam fire-engines,and the term normal conditions usedabove is intended to designate conditions of running existing onordinarily level surfaces, and abnormal conditions refer to conditionsexisting in ascending or descending a grade. These devices are shownmounted upon a platform which may be considered as forming part of asuitable vehicle, (represented in Fig. 1 of the drawings y I Referringto the drawings, 2 represents a suitable steam-boiler or analogouspressuregenerator adapted to be heated by liquid fuel from the burner 3.Said fuel is contained in any convenient tank 4 and is supplied inproper quantity to said burner by a pipe 5 between the latter and saidtank. A suitable valve 5 is located in said pipe, and the delivery offuel therefrom to said burner is regulated by other devices automaticintheir operations, which will be fully described farther on. Said fuel isforced to said burner under air-pressure supplied to the upper part ofsaid tank 4 through a pipe 6, leading therefrom to the delivery-port ofthe air-pumping cylinder 7 of an air-compressor. A valve 6 is located insaid pipe 6. Said air-compressor is of the common type, comprising asteam cylinder 8 for operating said pumping-cylinder 7. Steam issupplied to said cylinder 8 through the pipe 9, and 10 is theexhaust-pipe thereof. Connected with said pipe 6 is a horizontalextension 12 of said pipe 6, having a valve 13 therein, the function ofwhich branch will be described farther on. At a point substantiallyopposite the entrance of the pipe 6 into said air-pumping cylinder 7isthe suction-port of the said cylinder, and a short branch pipe 15 isscrewed into said port and provided on the end thereof with a coupling,whereby a piece of flexible or other pipe 16 (shown in dotted linesonly) may be attached thereto. The object of this connection with thesuction-port of said air-pumping cylinder 7 is to provide means wherebyliq; uid fuel may be drawn from a barrel orother reservoir 17 (indicatedin dotted lines) and forced through the pipe 6 into the tank 4 forreplenishing the supply of fuel therein, using said air-cylinder as aliquid-pumping cylinder, to which it is equally weli adapted. Said tank4 is provided with a safety-valve 18 to provide against an accidentalovercharging of the tank with air through the failure of the properoperation of the governing devices connected with the pump to shut offthe latter when the maximum pressure of air in said tank has beenattained. Said governing devices consist in the mechanism illustrated indetail in Fig. 3 and comprise a cylinder 19 in communication with thepipe 6 and havinga piston 20 therein,whose piston-rod 21 extends upwardinto a valve 22 in the steam-pipe 9,

the valve-disk 23 of which is connected to the end of said piston-rod.On thelatter, between the piston-head and the end of the cylinder 19, isa spring 24, the resistance of which to compression is equal to themaximum pressure of air it is desired to carry in the tank 4, and hencewhen said air-pressure exceeds this resistance the piston will be forcedupward and, com pressin said spring, will cause said valve-disk 23 toseat and shut off the ingress of steam into said cylinder. As pressurein saidtankis reduced by the withdrawal of fuel the spring 24 will forcesaid piston 20 down again and cause the valve-disk to move away from itsseat, allowing the pump to resume its functions.

Reference has been made to means for antomatically regulating the supplyof liquid fuel to the burner 3 under normal and abnormal conditions.Said means consist of the devices illustrated in Fig. 2, and 25indicates a passage in the burner into which the liquid fuel in the pipe5 enters on its way to the burner, and 26 indicates the passage by whichsaid fuel reaches the vaporizing-chamber 27, which consists of a coil ofpipe exposed to the flame from the burner below it and wherein the fuelmay be vaporized by heat before it issues from saidburnertobe consumed.Said chamber 27 has one end thereofin communication with the saidpassage 26 and its other 'end communicates with the interior of theburner 3, from which it issues through suitable apertures. The detailsof the construction of this burner are not shown, as its constructionforms no part of this invention. Between said passages 26and 25 lies thesmaller passage 28, one end of which is controlled by the point of anendwise-movable regulator-rod 29, which extends through a suitablestuffingboX 30, and the outer end thereof is connected with adistensible diaphragm which is inclosed in a suitable case 31. The saiddiaphragm is of metal, and with its inclosing case 31 forms a Well-knownconstruction and requires no detailed description or illustration. Thediaphragm may be concentrically corrugated, if desired, to increase therange of its distention. Said diaphragm divides said case 31 into twoparts, the rod 29 passing through one of said parts for connection withsaid diaphragm, as stated, and the other of said parts is madesteam-tight in any suitable manner and placed in communication with saidboiler through the pipe 32. The regulator-rod 29 is provided with aspring 33 thereon near said burner, one end of which spring bears on apart of the latter and the opposite end against a collar 34, adjustableto and fro on said rod, whereby the tension of said spring may bevaried. When the maximum pressure is reached by the steam in the boiler,the resistance of said diaphragm and said spring on the saidregulator-rod will be overcome, and the distention of said diaphragmwill move said regulator-rod toward the burner, and

the point of said rod will obstruct more or less the open passage 28 andreduce the quantity of liquid fuel passing th erethrough to thevaporizing-chamber of the burner, thus reducing temporarily thesteam-generating capacity of the boiler until such time as thewithdrawal of steam from said boiler shall have operated to reduce thepressure thereof to a point which will permit the retraction of saiddiaphragm, aided by the said spring 33, thus moving the point of theregulator-rod 29 away from the orifice of said passage 28, when thequantity of fuel moving through said passage will again increase thesteam-generating capacity of said boiler.

The above method of regulation is sufficient for all requirements of theapparatus under normal conditions.

Under abnormal conditions-via, when a steep gradient is to be surmountedand extra power is required for that purposeit becomes necessary to addinstantly to the power of resistance of the diaphragm to distention,whereby a pressure of steam in the boiler may be accumulated in excessof the normal maximum, which under normal conditions is sufficient todistend said diaphragm and reduce the supply of fuel passing to theburner. To that end the following devices are provided, which not onlyperform the above-described functions, but, further, may be so adjustedas to temporarily distend the diaphragm in the direction opposite tothat in which it is distended by the boiler-pressure and whereby asupply of fuel above the normal amount may temporarily be allowed topass into the vaporizing-chamber of the burner.

Referring to Fig. 2, (in which said devices are shown in detail,) 35 isan arm supported on a stud 36, screwed into the body of the burner 3, aportion of which onlyis shown in said figure. Referring to Fig. 1, thehub 37 of the arm 35 fits freely on said stud 36 and is revolublethereon within the limits of a slot 38 in said hub, through which a pinpasses and enters said stud. A rod 39 is pivotally supported in the endof said arm 35 for a swinging movement in the plane of the regulator-rod29, the latter passing through an opening in an enlarged part 40 of saidrod 39, thus permitting said swinging movement of the latter, and by thepin-and-slot connection of the two rods providing means for mechanicallymoving the regulator-rod endwise by the movement in the same verticalplane of said rod 39. On the lower extremity of said rod 39 is fixed aweight 41.

Now it is apparent that under normal conditionsthe steam-pressure in theboiler will, through the diaphragm-operated regulatorrod 29, operate toregulate the flow of fuel to the burner 3 in the manner substantially asdescribed without imparting more than very slight oscillations to theweighted rod 39; but as soon as the platform on which this apparatus isassembled assumes an inclined position, as in the ascent of a grade, theweight 39 and 29 and the connection of the latter with said diaphragm,and it is further apparent that the steeper the incline to be surmountedby said apparatus the more strongly will the said weight bear againstthe said diaphragm. Thus an increase of steam-pressure beyond thatnecessary to close, through the means described, the passage 28 may beaccumulated, which can be utilized to carry said apparatus up saidgrade. If a descending grade is encountered, the weight 41 will swingforward, and by as much of its weight as is applied to the regulator-rod29 to push it toward the passage 28 it will to that extent reduce theresistance of the said diaphragm and spring 33 to operation by theboiler-pressure, and thus insure the closing of the passage 28 under alower boiler-pressure than would be necessary on a level.

To provide for the proper functioning of the swinging rod 39 should theplatform on which the apparatus is mounted be inclined transversely andlongitudinally at the same moment, the hub 37 is made revoluble on thestud 36, as described, and said arm 35 and its said hub will by saidweight 41 be rotated slightly on its support, thus permitting saidWeight-bearing rod 39 to maintain a relatively perpendicular position atall times, and thus operate without a binding of the parts.

The object of the extension 12 of the pipe 6 and the valve 13 therein isto provide means for inflating pneumatic tires of the wheels with whichthe platform on which this apparatus is assembled may be provided. Byclosing the valve 6 leading to the fuel-tank 4, the air-pumping cylinder7 may be employed for this purpose by coupling a flexible pipe to saidextension 12 and opening the valve 13.

It is to be noted that when fuel is forced into the fuel-tank 4 by meansof the pump, as described, this operation may take place while normalpressure of air is carried in said tank and that as the fuel enters saidtank and thereby increases said air-pressure that pressure in excess ofthe maximum which said tank is designed to carry will escape from saidtank through the safety-valve 18.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination with a boiler, a liquidfuel burner therefor, andamovable platform on which said boiler is supported, of agravityactuated device for temporarily increasing the supply of fuelpassing to said burner, when said platform assumes a position upwardlyinclined relative to the direction of its movement, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination with the boiler of an automobile vehicle, and aliquid-fuel burner therefor, of a regulator controlled by the pres surein said boiler for regulating the supply of fuel to said burner, andautomatic means for temporarily increasing or decreasing saidfuel-supply independent of the action of said regulator, when saidboiler assumes an inclined position, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a boiler, a liquidfuel burner therefor, amovable platform on which said boiler is supported, a fuel-receptacle,and a pipe connection between said burner and receptacle; of agravity-actuated device for regulating the supply of fuel to saidburner, whereby, when said platform assumes a position inclined from thehorizontal in the direction of its movement, said gravity-actuateddevice will operate to increase or diminish the supply of. fuel to theburner, substantially as described.

4. In combination, a boiler, a liquid-fuel burner therefor, a suitableplatform on which said boileris supported, a regulator controlled by thepressure in said boiler for regulating the supply of fuel to saidburner, and automatic means for temporarily adding to' the resistance ofsaid regulator devices, when said platform is upwardly inclined from thehorizontal in the direction of its movement, whereby a pressure abovethe normal may be generated in said boiler, substantially as described.

5. The combination with devices for the combustion of fluidhydrocarbons, of a movable platform on which said devices are supported,and gravity-actuated mechanism for temporarily increasing or diminishingthe supply of hydrocarbon to said combustion devices, when said platformassumes a position other than horizontal, relative to the direction ofits forward movement, substantially as described.

JAMES H. BULLARD.

Witnesses:

H. A. OHAPIN, K. I. OLnMoNs.

